Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a method of smart saving high-density data and to the memory device. Specifically, the disclosure regards a device having a storage element for saving data supplied by inertial sensors, environmental sensors, position sensors and their derivatives, for example MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) sensors.
Description of the Related Art
As is known, current mobile devices, such as cellphones, tablets, palm-tops, portable or wearable electronic devices, inertial-navigation devices, automotive systems, robotic systems, etc., enable collection of large amounts of inertial and environmental data that are used in an ever-increasing number of applications and programs. In particular, such devices may be sensors for detecting physical quantities, such as inertial sensors, which detect data on acceleration and angular velocity; position sensors, such as magnetometers and proximity sensors; sensors of derived signals, such as quaternions (data representing rotations and directions in three-dimensional space) and gravity signals; motion detectors, such as step counters, running counters, uphill counters, etc.; and environmental signals, which detect quantities such as pressure, temperature, humidity, and brightness, used in various applications.
In general, the data acquired by the sensors are saved to a suitable data memory so that, at each moment, the device memory contains a “history” of the latest values of the saved data, the length whereof is linked to the available memory spaces.
On the other hand, current applications using the above data acquire and save an ever-increasing number of data, even in rest conditions of the mobile devices. In particular, new devices and applications require both an increase of acquired signals and physical quantities (increase of the “type” of data), and an increase of the data “history”, in terms of number of previous saved samples referring to a same quantity signal. This leads to a demand for an ever-increasing storage capacity, which is contrast with requirements of containment or even reduction of the size and of the costs of the mobile devices as a whole.
Furthermore, the acquired data have different variability in time, in particular a variability that is even very low, and may be substantially constant even for long periods. For instance, position data are normally substantially constant when the mobile device is in a fixed position, for example laid down on a surface, but saving the data requires the same space in memory as do data that vary rapidly.
In fact, current devices, and their memories, whether embedded or not, do not carry out any control over the data values, and these occupy the same space in memory, even though the values remains practically the same or very similar.
Thus, the problem exists of improving efficiency of saving data in mobile devices, irrespective of any possible increase of the memory size.
The subject matter discussed in the Background section is not necessarily prior art and should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its discussion in the Background section. Along these lines, the recognition of one or more problems in the prior art discussed in the Background section and the subject matter associated therewith should not be treated as prior art unless expressly stated to be prior art. Instead, the discussion in the Background section encompassing one or more recognized problems in the prior art should be treated as part of the inventor's approach to the particular problem, which in and of itself may also be inventive.